It is too bad that it was snowing in Dresden because it is a lovely place to walk about.

The Zwinger has a lovely huge courtyard but I guess with snow on the ground you could not see how lovely it is in summer.

Did you walk along what is called "The Balcony of Europe" which is a lovely walk along the Elbe River.?

I am sure you took pictures of the Opera House and Opera Square because it is right next to the Zwinger.

Did you walk across the Augustus Bridge and see the all Gold Statue of Augustus the Strong on a horse.?

Are you on the train back to Prague?

Keep up the good writing .!!

Percy-
Thanks for all your interest. The snow was a glorious and a huge bonus for this Floridian. Walking in it was quite enjoyable. We were pressed for time, so we never did walk across the bridge, or the Balcony of Europe. we did see the opera house in our travels, as we walked by and did enjoy the courtyard. I wrote the blog back in the hotel. Thanks for all your suggestions.

Okay where are you now ..back in Prague !? from Dresden.

Pery---back in Prague. At least for a couple more days.

Prague Trip Report
March 16, 2013
Day 4
22,828 Steps
An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house.
Maria Callas


It’s your bohemian princess reporting for blog duty. Please, pull up a chair and come in my office. Today was a day of sober reflection, followed by entertaining delight. Another delicious breakfast, in the sunny bright setting of the lovely K+K Central Hotel. If you ever come to Prague, I highly recommend this hotel. The staff is extremely helpful, the building itself is so spectacular, and the location really can’t be beat.

We started off early, making our way to the central meeting spot in Prague, called the Powder Gate, named aptly because this was where gun powder was stored in the 17th century . We were meeting Marek Taborsky for his World War II Prague Tour (https://sites.google.com/site/ww2inprague/ ). Fortunately, for us we were his only attendees for his tour, so we had the luxury of having our own private tour guide. The cost for these services were 600 cz (equivalent to $32) per person, and the tour last approximately 1 hr and 20 minutes. He was friendly guy, well versed in all things War, history and Prague. He was a wealth of information, answered all our questions, and had interesting stories to share. He took us on a walking tour, through the underground, into the Jewish Ghetto, criss- crossing through the bustling streets, pointing out interesting tidbits and surprising facts along the way. The tour, for me was one of my favorite things so far, that we have done. One of the many topics he discussed was the assignation of Reinhard Heydrich- Hitler’s #2 guy. He went into amazing detail, Frank and I were hanging on his every word. He told us of a church where the killings of the assignators hid, there was a massive standoff, and basically all the assignators died in a violent death, as well as the people that assisted them and their families were all brutally murdered. The men all died heroes. Just a brief history, I don’t mean to bore you with all the details.

We walked along the river, as the sun was out, and people were all out enjoying the wonderful weather. We stopped in a jewelry store to purchase garnet earrings. On my last trip to Prague, 12 years ago I had purchased garnet earrings. One had broken many years ago, so I was delighted to replace them. It was my big splurge, and they are beautiful. From there, we stopped in the main square at our favorite Starbucks. We refueled with some beverages and had a light lunch of sandwiches we had packed. The streets swelled with activity, loud teenagers, families, tourists, enjoying the refreshing air and bright sun.

We decided to stick with our theme and visited the church where the assignators hid, The Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius http://www.prague.net/cyril-methodius-church. For a small fee, you enter a small exhibit, which walks you through the timeline of events and details. It was extremely interesting, very sobering, and once you finish with the exhibit, you can go into the crypt where these heroes hid and eventually died. I found the whole subject matter fascinating.

We made our way back to the hotel for some much needed rest for the evenings events. After a brief nap and a quick shower, we spruced up, and went to the same theatre as the other night for the opera Die Flerdermaus http://www.metoperafamily.org/metope...x?customid=125, by Johann Strauss. It was a lively, comical production, sang in German, translated in English or Czech. We had great seats, managed to stay awake for the entire show and thoroughly enjoyed it.
After the show, we ate an absolutely amazing place called El Emir Lebanese Restaurant http://www.elemir.cz/. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, classy and sleek. The food was delicious, with beautiful presentation. We shared a vegetarian platter with all Lebanese specialties, followed by a shared desert of baklava. The meal was reasonably priced, the service was quick, and it was even close to the hotel. The whole day was a red letter day from start to finish.
It is late and exhaustion is seeping through my bones. The lack of downtime and sleep is catching up, but the trip is slowly coming to an end soon. Prague has changed quite a bit in the past decade, with commercialism and a flooding of tourists. This is good as Prague is a romantic, hidden jewel, stowed away in a time capsule. The downfall is if this gem of a place becomes “Disneyworld-ish” and loses its mystery and allure. I am cherishing the time I have here as it may be more than a decade to return-if ever. So, I am trying to absorb every little piece of magic this lovely place has to offer.
Love and carb filled dumplings,
~B and F~

Did you walk from the Powder Gate all the way to the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius.?

I toured this Church also, as I am looking at my own pictures.

There are bullet holes in front and a plaque and a small shrine to those patriots that lost their lives there.

From the Church I assume to walked to the "Dancing House" !

I hope you got to walk down Wenceslas Square but you know it is one thing to walk when the weather is over 80F and another when it it is cold.

I stayed about a block and a half from Charles Bridge and there was people everywhere all the time.

In fact the hotel lady said that January and February are the least busiest months...well yeah I guess ...but it is cold. !!

I am loving your report and your description of events.
Keep up the good work.

Percy--you are my only follower!!!
"Did you walk from the Powder Gate all the way to the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius.?" yes!yes! and more!

"There are bullet holes in front and a plaque and a small shrine to those patriots that lost their lives there"
I know! It was unbelievable!

From the Church I assume to walked to the "Dancing House" !

"I hope you got to walk down Wenceslas Square but you know it is one thing to walk when the weather is over 80F and another when it it is cold."
we did. It was cold but beautiful.
It has been amazing. Thanks for your comments.

I'm still following and loving your report as I begin planning for my trip in September.

I'm following too! I've been to that church and seen the bullet holes too. Amazing!

We enjoyed El Emir Lebanese as well, a good place and great prices

I did not think I was the only follower, so I am glad the others

made mention of their enjoyment of your Trip Report.

Hope there is more to come!! :)

Oh, I'm still following too. I made note of Pasta Fresca for our upcoming stay as well. Thanks.

Prague Trip Report
March 17, 2013************Frankster's Birthday*************
Day 5
17,769 steps

"If travel is like love, it is, in the end, mostly because it's a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end."
PICO IYER, "Why We Travel"

Well, all good things must come to an end, and we are approaching that point. (but, not yet)......One day left..... We slept in a lttle bit, but still out by 10 am. The sun was bright and people were already starting their day. We had plans to go to a funicular (a lift), but it was closed, so our whole schedule went slightly off track and eventually after a long sojourn to an Irish pub, it completely derailed. But, let me back up a bit.

After realizing the funicular was not working, we walked leisurely focusing on the "little quarter" http://goeasteurope.about.com/od/pra...Malastrana.htm. This area is more like a little village, less cosmopolitan, more families. It was a beautiful day and perfect for enjoying outside. We visited Church of Our Lady Victorious http://www.pragjesu.info/en/shrine.htm. It is quite a popular tourist attraction as the Holy infant Jesus of Prague is one of the most revered images in the Catholic world- as she is said to have healing powers. So, while we were there I asked for a little help with my throbbing tootsies. Unfortunatly, I think she was busy with more important matters.

Conveniently, across from the church was an Irish pub JJ Murphy's http://www.jjmurphys.cz/. Being that it is the Frankster's birthday, and it is St. Patty's Day, we felt it was mandatory to pay homage. Although, it was noon, the bar was in full swing. The owner greeted us in true friendly Irish fashion. We got a couple of drinks (a shandy for me, apple cider for the Birthday boy) and watched the parade from Ireland on tv. The mood was lively, drinks were flowing, and everyone was merry. Our Polish waitress provided great service, adorning Frank with a big leprachon hat, which he wore proudly. At the end, a little seranade performed by our waitress, in her Polish accent, an apple birthday streudel to end the celebration.

From there, we purchased 3 adorable marionettes and some souveniers. We stopped at a busy Starbucks, relaxing with a hot cup of coffee. We stopped in Church of St. Nicholas http://www.stnicholas.cz/en/ a Baroque church built in 1761. We made our way back to the hotel for a quick rest, then off to the evening's event. We went to a ballet, Krabat at the National Theatre http://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en. The ballet was modern and had a very confusing, dark theme. Our seats were good, we stayed awake, the theatre was beautiful, and the orchestra was perfect. The ballet itself, not my cup of tea.

We walked back to the hotel, and in our room was a bottle of champagne for Frank's birthday. I am not sure how they knew, but it was a sweet, pleasent surprise, and again what makes this hotel nicer than anyone we have been to. It was an amazing day, in the middle of an amazing week.
Love and shamrocks,
~B and F~

Normally you have to hand in your passport when in check into some continental country's hotels, a good one checks for the DObirth, it is a real pleasure when it happens. :-)

bookmarking!

Prague Trip Report
March 18, 2013
Day 6 final day
???? steps- not impressive

"The sum of the whole is this:
Walk and be happy
Walk and be healthy.
the best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose."
----Charles Dickens----


Sick, sick, sick. Your friendly blogger is sick, chest rattling, coughing and miserable. (sorry) So, this entry will be short and probably unpleasurable. Today is our last day and I wanted to make the most of it, but illness has prevented me from doing so. After breakfast, Frank with my persuasion went on his own, as I went back into my pj's closed the curtains and slept for 2 hrs. In order to salvage the trip, you must first take care of yourself. Rule #1. But, I knew I was pushing it, and I was doing all the right things: using antibacterial hand gel, taking vitamins, drinking lots of bottled water, and generally listening to my body.

Frank returned to the hotel , and with some reluctance, and little energy we went to the Mucha Museum http://www.mucha.cz/. It really is an amazing example of Art Nouveau, and is a fairly quick, easy, museum. If in Prague, this is an absolute must. From there, we walked to our favorite restaurant we had gone to on our previuos trip to Prague- Slavia http://www.cafeslavia.cz/index.php?i...via&id_lang=en. It is a lovely,spacious restaurant, open almost all the time. It is elegant, very reasonably priced, with good service. We both had some hot split pea soup, and I nibbled at some creamy gnocchi. Frank had beef strogonoff, declaring, the Russians do it better.

We walked back to the hotel in the dreary rain. I am glad to have enjoyed 5 wonderful days , with fantastic weather. So the weather fits my physical state presently. Our flight is obscenely early. We need to be at the airport at 4 am. It will be around 20 hrs of travel.

But, I do not want to leave on a sad note. This trip was fantastic. I love this country, the antiquity and preservation that surrounds you here is mind boggling. The people are friendly, the prices are still reasonable, and even though they are in the European Union, they have their own currency. The art is noteworthy, the architechure is impressive, the food is hearty, and our accomadations were excellent. All in all, Prague is a mosaic of all that is sublime in Europe.
Love and cough drops,
~B and F~

Great report. Thanks for sharing and get well soon!

Thanks for posting and letting us share your experiences.

Hope your feeling better soon.

Thanks everybody. Safe and sound in Tampa, Fl.
I also have 2 other blogs, feel free to check out.
Ireland and St Petersburg Russia and Edinburgh, Scotland
Appreciated all your comments
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http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ssia-day-2.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...1-169037-2.cfm

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